Flame regulation valve for gas lighter



June 22, 1965 ssucm KITABAYASH: I 3,190,088

FLAME REGULATION VALVE F03 eA L Gnrm Filed lay 24', 196:5

4 III A INVENTQR.

sEiicHi KITABAYA-SHI BY 0.x

A TORNEY;

United States Patent 3,190,088 FLAlVIE REGULATION VALVE FOR GAS LIGHTER Seiichi Kitabayashi, 2'2'246 Nishisugamo,

Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed May 24, 1963, Set. N 282,958 Claims priority, application Japan, May 26, 1962, 37/ 27,592; .lune 241, 1962, 37/ 32,749 3Claims. (Cl. 67"7.1)

Thepresent invention relates to valve devices to be' 7 vide means for. removing obstacles such as minute dust particles in the fuel entering into a narrow passage which is provided before the valve portion.

Still another object;is to provide means for smoothly V regulating the flow of the gas inv the above mentioned valve device and accordingly the flame length in gas lighters. V V

A valve device according to the present invention comprises a valve housing for being fixed to the wall of a fuel reservoir of a liquified gas lighter, a valve stem with the lower portion thereof being screwed rotatably in said valve housing, said valve stem being provided therethrough with a gas expansion chamber, the top end of said gas expansion chamber forming a burner, a resilient seat. gasket being encased in the bottom of said valvehousing, said seat gasket engaging with said valve stem bottom annular seating portion, and the side wall of said valve housing being provided therethrough with a hole for gas passage at the upper portion of the thread cut for said valve, stem being screwed in said valve housing.

The embodiment of'the present invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, w ill hereinafter be described.

In the drawingsi FIG; 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device-according to the present invention'fitted'to' the wall of a fuel reservoir of a liquified gas lighter and shownin its state in which the burner is closed by a cap.

FIG. 2 is,a longitudinal sectional view of a modification according to the present invention and shown in an identical state with that shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the bottom portion of a valve stem shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the bottom portion of an other modification of the valve stem capable of being adapted to the valve device shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1, a cylindrical valve housing 2 is fixed to the Wall 1 of a fuel reservoir and extends inwardly in said reservoir. The lower portion of a valve stem 6 is screwed in the valve housing 2 by the threaded portion 13. A gas expansion chamber 4 extends through the valve stem 6 and the top end of the chamber 4 forms a burner5. The burner is closed by a resilient gasket 10 which is encased in a cap 9. The gasket 10 receives the pressure of a spring 16. The cap 9 is fixed in the frame 17 of a lift lever which is to be lifted in order that the burner 5 can be opened for firing of the fuel. An annular sealing gasket 12 is encased between the valve housing inner wall and the valve stem 6 at the top end portion of threaded portion 13 for sealing said thread portion against the outer atmosphere. A resilient seat gasket 3 together with a fibrous sheet material 14 such as a sheet of filter paper is encased in the bottom of the valve housing 2.

The upper face of the fibrous sheet 14 engages with the fiow of gas passing between the seat gasket and the annular-seating portion 7 which gas flow is minimized thereby. through the side wall of the valve housing 2 at the upper portion of. the thread 13. z 7 V VVhen'the lever 17 is lifted and thegasket 10 is removed from theburner 5, the compressed gas which fills the space above the liquified gas surface in the fuel reservoir, enters into the hole 8 by the pressure of the gas and passes through the thread clearance along the thread portion 13. Subsequently, said gas passes between the annular seating portion 7 and the seat gasket 3. Then, the gas expands in the gas expansion chamber 4 and is discharged from the burner at a lowered pressure. The valve clearance is regulated by the'valve stem being screwed inwardly in the valve housing 2 or screwed outwardly. The screwing action of the ,valve stem 6 takes place by the valve stem being manually rotated through a regulating Wheel 11 which engages axially with.

the valve stem" 6.

. In FIG. ,2, it will be readily understood that the 'structu res or the relative structures of the valve housing 2, the.

valve stem except for its annular bottom seating portion 7, the annular sealing gasket 12, the-cap 9, and the regu- The gas discharging and the regulation actions of the valve device shown in FIG. 2 is substantially the same as that described above in regard to the device shown in FIG: 1 except for that the valve clearance 15 regulating the flow of gas passing therethrough is formed solely between a higher portion of the above mentionedinclined end face 18 of the valve stem (land the upper face of the seat gasket 3. I Since the said valve clearance 15 is not necessarily lirn ited to a single space, two or more of the above mentioned inclined faces are naturally possible if the seat gasket 4 is sufliciently soft and resilient. In FIG. 4, a

valve stem annular seating portionwith two inclined faces 19 and-is thus shown. 4

In the following, the advantages of a device as shown in FIG.,2 or FIG. 3 or a valve device having a valve stem bottom end with one or more faces inclined against the upper face of the seat gasket 3 against a valve device as shown in FIG. 1 are described.

When .the valve stem 6 is screwed inwardly in the valve housing 2 a limited portion of the upper face of the seat gasket 3 caves in and another portion thereof rises, with the result that a clearance with a small width is formed between the valve stem bottom face and a portion of the seat gasket upper face. A degree of change of clearance area is comparatively small against a descent height of the valve stem. Accordingly, an extreme smoothness of flame regulating action is obtained by rotating the regulation wheel 11.

However, as disclosed above, the fibrous sheet 14 in FIG. 1 is provided for improving the smoothness of the gas flow regulation, said regulation action tends to be poor in a substantial short time due to closing of said sheet by the repeated compression thereof. Since a valve stem having one or more seating faces inclined against the seat gasket never requires a fibrous sheet, it elimi- Patented June 22, 1965 Ahole Sfor the passage of the gas is provided nate's'the above mentioned least smoothness of the flame regulation.

In a device according to the present invention, as it is composed as stated above, and asthe seat gasket 3 is encased'in the bottom of the valve housing 2, not 'rnerely said seat gasket is provided with an excellent stability rubber sheet can be used therefor. Because of the regu lation valve portion has the annular seating portion and the seat gasket positioned at the lowest point of all in defect without sacrificing the portion of said thread. I

2. A flame regulation valve device for a liquifiedgas 5.

the valve mechanisms, the gas expansion chamber 4 can 1 i be provided with asuflieiently large dimension, and cause the fuel to change. into gas with a perfectly constant pressure before being discharged from the burner, with the result that an extremely stable and'soft flame is readily obtained. '7

. 'As stated'above, the hole 8 for gas passage is provided 'through the side wall of the valve housing 2 and at the upper'portion of thethr'ead portion 13, and the fuel enters into the hole 8, passes'through the thread clearance and is discharged in the gas expansion chamber 4 through the above mentioned valve clearance. Thus, it is, pos

tion valve portion is positioned at theib'ottorn of the'fuel of a liquified gas lighter, a threade'd'valve stem having the lower portion thereof rotatably positioned in said valve housing and a bottom annular seating portion, said valve stem being provided longitudinally thereof with a gas expansionchamber with the top end of said gas expansion chamber'forming a burner, a seat gasket beingencased I in the bottom-ofsaid valve housing,'said seatgasket bet ing composed of a fibrous sheetmaterialupper layer and a resilient material lower layer with said upper layer, en-" gaging with said valve stem bottom annular seating pertion, said seating portion havinganend face parallel 1 reservoir or under the liquified gas surface, because the 7 valve housing can be provided with a sufiicient length and the hole 8 can be positioned suh'iciently high; Accordingly, an even flame lengthican be maintained always while firing.

; In case where the clearance between the threads is utilized as a fuel passage the state of the flame of a gas lighter is apt to suffer undesirable effects due to clogging of said passage by minute dust particles contained in the valve housing, said valve stem being provided longitu dinally thereof with a gas expansion chamber with'thej top end ofsaid gasexpansion chamber forming a burner,

a seat gasket being encased in the bottom of said'valve housing below said valvestem lower portion, the side wall of said valve housing being providedttherein with'jthreads in threaded engagement with said valve stem anda'hole for the passage of gas lighter comprising a cylindrical valve, housing for being fixed, to the wall of and extending withina fuelreservoir to said. seat gasket, the-side wall :of saidvalve housing being provided-therein with threads in the threaded engagement with said valve stem and ahole for thepassage of gas at the upper top portionof-said housing thread.

3. A flame-regulation valve device for a liquified gas valve housing and a bottom .annular'seating portion, said fuel. According to the present invention, however,the

above mentioned troubles :can be removed immediately by a, slightrotationt of the valve stem 6,-because the threads cut in the fixed valve housing and the rotatable valve stem are formed for being rubbed against eachj" other;

Q With: above mentioned characteristics-and merits, it is, possible with the present invention to provide liquified gas tl.5

lighters with a stable and'soft flame, with an excellent smoothness of flame regulation,

ture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: I

1. A flame regulation valve device for a liquified gas lighter comprising a cylindrical valve housing for being fixed to the Wall of and extending within a fuel reservoir and with a simple struc-' V ment with said valvesteni. and a hole for the. passage of g I of a liquified gas lighter, a threaded valve stem having the lower portion thereof rotatably positioned in said valve stem being, provided longitudinally thereof with .a gas expansion chamber with the top end of said gas expansion chamberforming a burner, a resilient seat gasket being encased in the bottom of said valve housing with said seat gasket engaging with said valve stem bottom annular seating portion, said seating .portionhaving at least one end face inclined relative to theupper -face, of said seat gasket, the sidewall of said valve hou'sing,be-.

ingprovided therein with threads in threaded engage gas passage at the top portion of said housing thread, f References Cited by the'Examiner, V V

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 2,652,707 9/53 Reilly '677.l

3,083,554 4/63 lketan'i "(67.1.1 EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner.

from said reservoir, atthe upper 

1. A FLAME REGULATION VALVE DEVICE FOR A LIQUIFIED GAS LIGHTER COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL VALVE HOUSING FOR BEING FIXED TO THE WALL OF AN EXTENDING WITHIN A FUEL RESERVOIR OF A LIQUIFIED GAS LIGHTER, A THREADED VALVE STEM HAVING THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF ROTATABLY POSITIONED IN SAID VALVE HOUSING, SAID VALVE STEM BEING PROVIDED LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF WITH A GAS EXPANSION CHAMBER WITH THE TOP END OF SAID EXPANSION CHAMBER FORMING A BURNER, A SEAT GASKET BEING ENCASED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID VALVE HOUSING BELOW SAID VALVE STEM LOWER PORTION, THE SIDE WALL OF SAID VALVE HOUSING BEING PROVIDED THEREIN WITH THREADS IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID VALVE STEM AND A HOLE FOR THE PASSAGE OF GAS FROM SAID RESERVOIR, AT THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID THREAD. 